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Hey there,
Ever feel like business travel is back, but the price tag keeps acting like it never wants to come down? In Q3 2025, travel and expense volume rose sharply while premium fares surged, leaving finance teams in an uncomfortable position of approving more trips that cost a lot more.
Take a moment to see what this means for budgets and approvals as we enter the next planning cycle.
Quick Win For Your Finance Team
Executive Decision Brief Assist
A repeatable outbound or discovery move where you draft a one-page decision brief the sponsor can use internally, then co-edit it in a short working session.
Steps (4):
Lift the objective: Quote the leader’s stated goal in one sentence and name the single workflow that moves it.
Draft the brief: One page with Problem, Options, Cost and Effort, Expected Outcome, Risks and Mitigations, and Next Step. Keep numbers conservative and sources clear.
Localize proof: Add one peer result and the exact lever used so it feels credible and transferable.
Micro ask: Offer a 12- to 15-minute co-edit to confirm assumptions and agree on a small pass-or-fail test the brief will recommend.
Example line:
“I drafted a one-page decision brief for your cycle time goal with Problem, Options, Cost and Effort, Expected Outcome, Risks, and a small test recommendation. I added a peer result and the lever they used. Open to a 12-minute co-edit to confirm inputs and lock the first test?”
Expected outcome:
Faster executive sponsorship, cleaner internal forwarding, and a quick yes or no on a scoped experiment.
🧳 Q3 Business Travel Up 20% As Premium Fares Surge 36%
Business travel kept climbing in Q3 2025: across 10,000+ companies, T&E volume and spend rose 20% year over year, lifting Navan’s index to 178.4. Government and financial services led the jump, while premium fares spiked 36% domestically and 13% internationally. Overall U.S. travel grew by just 0.6%, prompting finance to consolidate trips and tighten approvals next. See full article.
Why this matters (fast take):
📊 Index at 178.4: Navan’s benchmark rose from 100 in Q1 2023 to 178.4, a 78% gain in under two years.
✈️ Costs Bite Hard: Premium cabin tickets jumped 36.2% in the U.S. and 12.7% internationally, pressuring budgets as trips increase.
⚠️ 10 2025 Buzzwords CFOs Faced, and The Risks Behind Them
CFO.com rounded up 10 workplace terms that shaped finance teams in 2025, from workslop and microshifting to conscious unbossing and meeting recovery time. The list translates slang into concrete operating risks, helping leaders spot threats to forecasts, closings, and headcount plans before they hit results next quarter. See full article.
Fast move:
🧪 Workslop = Rework: Auto-generated-looking output speeds delivery, then erodes analytical quality, risking flawed forecasts, board materials, and disclosures.
🗓️ Microshifting Hits Closes: Small, unapproved schedule and location tweaks stack up, skewing productivity tracking, real estate assumptions, and close timelines.
🧩 79% of CFOs Plan New Tools, 48% See Staff Pushback
Finance chiefs want more innovative automation across finance and operations. In Deloitte’s latest survey, 79% plan to adopt within 24 months, yet 48% say employees resist, slowing rollouts. The move that works pairs the CFO with the CIO, then uses clear, business-friendly comms and frontline engagement, steps tech groups report using today at 42%, 36%, and 36%. See full article.
Fast move:
📈 Talent Gap Math: 79% plan to adopt new tools within 24 months to close skills gaps, per Deloitte CFO Signals.
🧱 Real Barrier Named: 48% say staff pushback tops the list, so leaders must explain roles, guardrails, and wins early.
Automation Play Of The Week
RFP Intercept Kit -- Win Without An RFP
When an RFP arrives, most teams just respond and hope. Leaders shape the scoring by intercepting early with a tight kit and a short clarification call.
3-Step How-To
Detect the RFP moment: a procurement email, a vendor form, or an RFP link forwarded by a champion.
Intercept fast: Send one folder with your 1-pager, security pack, editable requirements checklist, redline positions, references, and 3-option pricing. Ask for a 20-minute clarification call before scoring is locked.
Shape requirements: Use the checklist to influence must-haves and scoring weights toward what you can prove (audit logs, RBAC, SLA credits, pilot exit criteria).
10-Minute Test (today)
Pick one active deal that smells like “procurement is involved.”
Assemble the kit (even a rough one) and send the intercept email to your champion to forward.
Win condition: a clarification call is booked, or you’re asked to help refine requirements before submission.
📊 Take This Edition’s Poll:
This or that, which change would you implement first to control T&E without killing momentum?
Why It Matters
Rising trip volume paired with premium fare spikes can quietly blow up forecasts if policies and approvals do not tighten. Teams that consolidate trips and clarify when premium is genuinely worth it can protect spending without freezing travel altogether.
When costs jump this fast, every trip needs a purpose.
Until the next financial insight,
Corrine Maxwell
Editor-in-Chief
CFO Executive Insights
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